Ex Malian colonel sentenced to 20 years in prison
Ex-Malian colonel Alpha Yaya Sangare was sentenced to 20 years in prison for “offence against state security”. According to RFI, the ex-colonel was sentenced on September 3, after more than 2 years in prison. He was first arrested in March 2024 after the publication of a book in which accusations of abuses were brought against the Malian army.
The former military officer was judged by the court for anti-cybercrime. A week ago, the prosecution had sought the death penalty, not applied in Mali, for ‘treason’. Charges were revised, and he was tried under “offence against state security”.
The ex-minister published, at the end of February 2024, a book titled Mali: The Challenge of Terrorism in Africa. In this book, Sangare discusses accusations made by the international NGO Human Rights Watch, writing that “Neither the military hierarchy nor the judicial authorities have carried out investigations into these alleged abuses.” The Ministry of Defense denied these accusations, framing them as fake. A few days later, Alpha Yaya Sangare was arrested at his house.
Many suspect that the ex-colonel’s arrest had more to do with his popularity within the army and his personal wealth. The colonel was removed from the army by presidential decree in December 2025.
Trials against former military or political figures are common in Mali, as seen in July 2026 with the trial of multiple ex-ministers and figures close to the former transitional government. Tried for conspiracy against the state, Colonel Kassoum Goita accused the provisional government of torture, money laundering, and conspiracy.
Alongside five other important advisors to the ex-president, he has been held in prison in notably cruel conditions for the past five years. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison alongside 2 other accused. The two other accused left the trial with a seven-year sentence for complicity in the conspiracy.
As the transitional government led by Assimi Goita has become permanent, unfair political trials have multiplied in the last few years.
RFI/Maghrebi.org
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